


“I had a cold last week if anyone cares”

by deakyfandoms



Category: Bohemian Rhapsody (Movie 2018), Queen (Band)
Genre: Brian May - Freeform, Fluff and Angst, Freddie Mercury - Freeform, John Deacon - Freeform, Other, Roger Taylor - Freeform, Sickfic, Stubborn John, worried band
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-20
Updated: 2019-01-20
Packaged: 2019-10-13 05:27:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17482070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deakyfandoms/pseuds/deakyfandoms
Summary: John Deacon is sick. The band notice. John is stubborn.





	1. Sick John deacon 1

**Author's Note:**

> I’m really sorry that this isn’t that good. It’s my first Queen fic. However I hope you enjoy anyway!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John is sick. The band notices. John acts stubborn.

p>“Deaky. Deaky” Brain May said firmly, trying to wake up the bass player.  
On the hotel bed, Brian was sat. John Deacon had the covers pulled right up to his chin and his tousled short hair resembled a birds nest. Brian considered shaking him awake but worried that it would make John annoyed or worried. John looked so peaceful that Brian just wanted to let him sleep but the band had places to be. Brian listened as John snored softly. The bass player looked paler than usual. He also seemed to look even younger when he was asleep. Brian couldn’t help but feel protective over him. Coming to think of it, this was the first time Brian had seen the man sleeping so deeply. A quick look at the clock brought Brian back into reality and reminded him what he was doing there in the first place. 

Queen had been rushing around all morning preparing to leave the hotel they’d been staying in for the next part of their tour. They also wanted to get a bit of rehearsal done in the studio before they set off. With all the last minute packing and mad rush the band had forgotten to wake up bass player John Deacon. Usually this wasn’t an issue as John got up earliest out of all of them, but on this day he was still fast asleep. Brian had been sent in by Freddie and Roger to get him up.   
“John.” Brian said, slightly louder this time.  
Eventually John stirred and let out a “hmmm?”   
“You need to wake up mate” Brian said softly.  
When Johns eyes opened, he was surprised to see Brian perched on the side of his bed, smiling kindly. Johns cheeks reddened with embarrassment. He felt awkward that Brian had seen him asleep. Had he been snoring? Talking? John sat up, noticing in ache in his head. His eyes adjusted to the light and he gave Brian a confused look.

“Sorry to be waking you up mate but it’s 10:30 we’re running late.” Brian explained,”you alright?”   
John smiled and nodded. Brian smiled back before leaving the room. John watched Brian’s back as he disappeared into the hallway. When was gone, John laid down again. He let out a sigh when he realized he wasn’t feeling well. To block out the sunlight that was seeping through the window, John draped his arm over his eyes. This made his head hurt slightly less and he considered falling asleep again, but John knew he had to get up. Accepting he had to face the light at some point, John hesitantly took his arm away. The bassist dizzily dragged himself out of bed, shivering. He had a throbbing headache that seemed to get worse with each step he took.

The night before John felt run down, as he usually got during tours, and decided to go to bed early at 9pm. On the ground, next to the bed John had slept in, was a book. John remembered that he had attempted to continue reading it the night before. But a few paragraphs in, his eyelids became heavily. John didn’t resist the sleepiness for long and fell asleep quickly in the hope that he would feel refreshed the next day. Unfortunately he felt worse. All he wanted to do was get back into bed and sleep this off but he didn’t want his bandmates to worry about him or think he was lazy. Plus he loved spending time with Freddie, Brian and Roger. John put on a shirt and some jeans, then made his way to the bathroom. In the mirror he could see his pale skin and dark circles beneath his eyes. Running his fingers through his hair in an attempt to make it look presentable, John hoped his bandmates wouldn’t suspect he was ill. On the edge of the sink, there was a small box of paracetamol, mostly empty. It was there for when the band got drunk and hungover. John popped some out and swallowed them discreetly, hoping it would make him feel slightly better. The action of taking the pills aggravated his throat and John began coughing.

“I finally got him to wake up” Brian said, sitting down beside Roger whilst Freddie examined the food he had ordered to the hotel room. The band were all feeling optimistic about the upcoming shows and excited to see their fans reactions. The only thing that was making their positivity waver was Deaky. Who, if Brian thought about it a little deeper, seemed pretty quiet yesterday. However it was difficult to tell because John was always quite shy and reserved. John had never done well in big crowds, often leaving the speaking and questions to his bandmates. Queens popularity was growing and the band were encountering more crowds as a result of this. Brian wondered if maybe John was feeling overwhelmed by it all or upset about something? The bassist was quite an enigma. John never complained about anything and always her the feelings of others before his. He was a talented bassist with a great but complex personality. “Its not like him to sleep in like this” Roger said, sipping tea. Brain nodded in agreement.  
“ I hope he’s alright” Roger said, empathetically.  
“Hope who’s alright?” a voice asked.  
It sounded like John but more hoarse. The coughing in the bathroom had left his throat feeling raw. The 3 bandmates smiled when they saw him. Freddie squeezed Johns shoulder affectionately. John continued to look at Brian, waiting for an answer.  
“Oh..nothing” Brain said, not wanting John to feel awkward because they were talking about him. John felt a twinge or rejection after being brushed off like this but it was soon forgotten.   
“Hello sleeping beauty” Roger joked in his high voice to John, wrapping his arm around the bassists shoulder.  
John laughed and tried his best to hold back from coughing again. Freddie passed John a cup of tea and 2 slices of toast. Despite the fact he didn’t feel like eating, John forced down the toast and drank the tea. The tea felt so good on his throat but it was still very painful.

The high volume of the studio was not helping Johns headache. He held his guitar weakly. It felt so heavy today and his foggy brain made playing feel like such a struggle. John took a deep breath and began to play. Despite being sick he played flawlessly.  
However not long in to the session John began coughing violently.  
‘God I feel terrible’ he thought, sinking onto the ground and placing his bass down.  
His bandmates stopped what they were doing to look at him with concern.  
“Are you alright John?” Brian asked.  
“...*cough cough* yes I’m *cough* fine” John replied unconvincingly.  
Roger appeared next to John with a glass of water.  
“Sorry” John said weakly.  
Freddie sat down next to him, concern evident on his face.  
“Your shaking” Brian pointed out.  
“It’s really cold in here” John said, because he felt it really was.   
“It’s really not” Roger said, taking off his jacket and putting it round Johns shoulders.  
Brian put his hand on Johns forehead and then on Rogers to compare the warmth. John could see Brian’s face fall when he felt the difference.   
“I think you’ve got a fever” Brain said worriedly.  
John and Freddie locked eyes and Freddie’s smile faded into seriousness.  
“You don’t look well deaky” he said. “How do you feel? actually? ”  
There was a strange thing about Freddie that John couldn’t bare to lie to him. He should’ve known the band members would see straight through him.  
“I’m fine” John however continued to be stubborn. John sort of ruined his little act by sniffling and letting out a few more coughs.   
“Whatever you say Deaky” Brian clearly didn’t believe him. After John had drunk some water the rehearsal continued. Suddenly the bass playing came to an abrupt stop, followed by John sneezing. John could feel his bandmates eyes on him. He blushed for the second time that day, feeling embarrassed.   
“achoooo...hechooo....”  
“Bless you darling” Freddie said. 

After the rehearsal the band piled into the tour bus. Jim “Miami” Beach was there to meet them and discuss the shows ahead. The band sat on the sofa in a line opposite Jim. John wasn’t really listening and could feel himself falling asleep. the movement of the bus felt weirdly comfortable, as though he was being rocked to sleep. The short rehearsal they had was exhausting and he had no idea how he would be able to play later that day. Within a few minutes John drifted off to sleep with his head rested on Freddie’s shoulder. Jim Beach looked at the youngest member sympathetically. He looked paler than usual and he didn’t have the heart to tell him to wake up and focus.  
“Is he okay?” Jim asked quietly.  
“We think he’s sick. But he’s denying it” Brian explained.  
Jim Beach nodded.  
“We can talk about this later” Jim said.   
\- later-  
“Bri?” Rogers soft voice asked.  
Brian turned to his friend irritably. He was trying to read but kept being interrupted by Roger and Freddie. They were bored of the long car journey and were coming out with the strangest conversation topics. Such as “what’s the sexiest part of a car?” And “blinking is your eyes clapping?”   
“In your professional opinion, do you stars have feelings?” Roger asked.  
Brian sighed and wondered how many more absurd questions he would receive before the journey was through. However this question did put a smile on Brian’s face. He was about to answer when he was distracted by a sneeze.  
“HEKTCHOO...”  
“Oh hi John” Brian said. 

John felt disoriented. He wasn’t sure why he was now lying down with a blanket over him.  
“what’s going on?” John asked, confused. “I thought we were having a band discussion?”  
Johns messy hair and pink cheeks made Freddie smile. The bassist looked almost childlike and very confused. “You fell asleep Deaky” Brian explained.  
“Why didn’t you wake me up?” John asked, annoyed. Once again his body flooded with embarrassment. He couldn’t even stay awake edit band discussion.what if they thought he didn’t want him to be there?  
“We agreed you seemed like you needed that rest.” Brian said. “Because you’re sick”  
John sat up to protest but the room lurched. God he felt dizzy. He buried his head in his hands.  
“I’m not sick” he mumbled, unconvincingly.  
“Suuure” Roger said, exchanging an amused look with Freddie.  
“We’re at the petrol station” Roger explained. “Do you need anything from the shop?”  
“No...” John said quietly. “But can you please close the door it’s freezing”  
“Deaky the door is closed” Freddie said, gesturing towards it.  
Roger picked up Brian’s jacket that had been tossed next to him earlier and gave it to John.  
“There you go mate”  
——— even later ———-  
“John there is no way you’re playing tonight” Freddie said sternly for what felt like the 250th time.  
“I am. I’ll be fine” John protested in his hoarse voice. “I’m a grown man! I’m not going to wimp out over a stupid cold”  
John was being totally miserable and irritable.  
“You can’t stop me” John continued.  
His bandmates were surprised by his stubbornness. So was “Miami”.  
“I don’t think that’s the best thing to do” Miami Beach attempted to advise. “You look exhausted and it’s clear you’re not feeling well. We can reschedule the concert-“  
“I’m doing it” John repeated, this time with a hint of aggression. “I’m FINE”  
Freddie looked at John was surprise. No one said anything. In the end they decided to just go through with it. But they shortened the show by 20 minutes.  
\- concert-  
The concert was, as they usually were, a lot of fun. The fans really enjoyed it and Freddie connected with the audience beautifully. John wished he could enjoy it more and not have his bandmates glancing at him worriedly the whole time. Despite his terrible headache his playing made him feel very proud and it was an enjoyable experience. He actually felt a bit better whilst playing. By the end John was so exhausted he felt like he could fall asleep standing there. John wearily thanked the audience and smiled affectionately at them before leaving the stage, relived that he hadn’t coughed too much during the show. As the band made their way away from the stage, the sound of cheering faded away. The band were exhilarated by the performance and in high spirits.  
“How are you doing Deaky?” Brian asked.  
Deaky opened his mouth to reply but all that came out was harsh coughing.  
“I’m fine” John said when he caught his breath eventually.  
He didn’t feel fine one bit. The venue of the concert felt suffocating so he decided to sneak out for a walk. John watched his bandmates walk away and opened the back door. Cold air hit him like a truck causing him to cough. His headache was making his eyesight blurry as he made his way up the road through the dark.  
——


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi it’s been a while. Sorry about that. I may go back and edit the first chapter because I’m insecure about my ability. Anyway I hope you enjoy part 2. Also feel free to give requests- I mostly write this sort of stuff with sick characters but I may branch out. 
> 
> Sorry this isn’t that good by the way - I wasn’t very inspired. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy it :)

“Freddie calm down” Brian yelled. “You’re gonna Make him worse if he sees you panicking”  
“You calm down!!” Freddie said, clearly stressed.   
He took his attention away from Brian and crouched down next to John.   
“Deaky! Deaky my dear wake up!” Freddie said worriedly.  
John let out a quiet groan of discomfort and opened his eyes slightly. 

After the concert had ended, John had abruptly gone missing. One minute he was there and the next, nowhere to be seen. Freddie was quickly becoming hysterical. Brian was pacing around, trying to appear calm and come up with some kind of explanation. Roger for once was lost for words. Eventually they found John lying on the ground a few metres away from the venues back door. Panic surged through Freddie’s body and his heart sank. Brian went to get “Miami”. Roger quickly went to find some water. 

The first thing John noticed whilst regaining consciousness was that his throat hurt like hell. He tried to piece together the events after the concert but it was all so blurry. He couldn’t stop shivering and his headache was worse than ever.   
“Freddie...wh...What happened” he could only manage a whisper from his horribly sore throat.   
Exhausting coughs racked his body and he was too weak to cover his mouth. He also was begging to feel nausea and he was very dizzy. John was starting to grow panicky. He wanted the pain to stop. Tears started forming in his eyes.   
“don’t cry John...” Freddie said, stroking the younger mans hair. “You fainted but you’re going to be fine”   
“I’m sorry Freddie...” John whimpered, he felt so anxious and just wanted to go home. He wasn’t sure why he felt so fearful and vulnerable.   
“Whatever for?” Freddie said softly.”this isn’t your fault”  
Freddie pulled John into a hug. He could feel Johns shoulders heaving and his shirt becoming wet with tears as john cried.   
Brian and Roger returned with Jim Beach and some water for John. Freddie helped John sit up and drink the water.   
“Mate...You look terrible” Brian said, sadly. “We better get you inside.”  
John weakly made his way inside with help from his bandmates. They sat him on a chair backstage and looked at him with concern.   
“John did you hurt yourself when you fell?” Brian asked.   
John shook his head, even that hurt. His whole body ached but he couldn’t tell if it was from the illness or falling.

Jim organised for the band to stay in an apartment until John felt better because staying in the tour bus would be cold and less comfortable. A doctor was also going to come round to check on the young bass player because going to see one would attract press and they didn’t want to stress John out further. 

Once John was in the apartment he had calmed down a bit. He changed into pajamas and had a blanket wrapped around his shoulders.  
Roger made John some tea and a bit of food. John looked at it fearfully, unsure as to whether his stomach could handle it or if his throat would be too sore to swallow. The smell alone was making his stomach turn.   
“Come on john you need to eat” Brian said. “You’ve eaten barely anything”   
“Nooo” John whimpered.”I’m not hungry”   
John was petrified by the thought of eating and being sick. He had managed to avoid nausea in recent years but now it was back. It wasn’t really something he’d ever mentioned to anyone. The feeling made him panic a lot. The tea was about as much as John could tolerate at that time and he drank it gratefully. 

The doctor arrived a little while later. He was relatively young and seemed excited to be in the same room as Queen. He shook Freddie, Brian, and Rogers hands eagerly. The doctors face fell when he saw John. They discussed his symptoms and fainting. He also checked Johns head for injuries and looked at his throat. 

“Mr Deacon, how long has this been going on for?” The Doctor asked.   
“3 or 4 days” John replied.   
“What??” Brian felt guilty for not realising John was ill until that morning. “Why didn’t you tell us”  
“I didn’t want you all to worry” John explained.” And it’s a bit inconvenient in the middle of the tour”   
“That doesn’t matter John” Brian said sincerely. “We all care about you and want to make sure that you are okay. Don’t be scared to tell us these things again. Okay??”  
John nodded unsurely and Brian smiled. John did like the fact that his bandmates cared but he wasn’t used to all this attention. He was worried he was annoying them and repeatedly apologized. 

 

The doctor said John probably had the flu and needed plenty of fluids and rest and also not return to “work” until his fever was gone. The doctor also explained that John was clearly exhausted and the lack of sleep weakened his immune system. The bandmates remembered John complained of feeling “absolutely shattered” a few days before but they didn’t think he was ill. John felt awful because he was going to miss the upcoming show and disappoint the fans. However he was feeling horrendously dizzy and weak so it would be difficult to stand up let alone play the bass.   
“Feel better John” the doctor said as he left. “If anything else happens that worries you or you don’t feel better within a week let me know. Goodbye”  
The band expressed their Thanks to him and prepared more tea for John. 

John attempted to drift off to sleep but he was repeatedly being woken up by the need to cough or sneeze. Despite the blankets John shivered violently and he seemed very uncomfortable. Sleepiness eventually overcame John but he was still clearly stressed out and pained. Freddie stroked his bandmates hand affectionately and sung quietly to comfort him. The bandmates also told him stories of their childhoods and funny anecdotes to distract him. 

The rest of the band hung out in the next room across and played scrabble whilst John slept. They loved scrabble but it seemed like they were distracted.   
“Roger you’re winnning darling” Freddie smiled.   
Roger didn’t respond.   
“Sorry Fred I’m not really feeling it right now” Roger admitted.”I’m worried about John”   
“Roger he’s going to be fine” Freddie said.  
“I know, I’ve just never seen him like this before” Roger explained. 

John woke up again around 10pm for some tea and has a chat with Brian before stretching out again. After leaving some water out for John, the rest of the band went to bed at around midnight. There wasn’t enough single beds for them all so Bri and Rog shared. This was fine to them and it was not the first time. Brian liked having Roger there because it was nice seeing if he was alright. They stayed up for a while longer whispering and joking like school boys on a camping trip. Brian closed his eyes, feeling calm and nostalgic. However his chest twinged with guilt that John was in such pain. 

At around 4am Bri was woken up. He sleepily sat up trying to figure out what had woken him. A faint whimper and coughing could be heard from the bathroom across the hall. Brian got up quietly to investigate.   
“John?” Brian whispered.   
The young bass player was shivering and crying on the ground. He looked utterly awful and Brian felt sad to see him on this condition.   
“It’s okay John..” Brian said comfortingly, rubbing his back. “Let’s get you back to bed.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heyyy sorry this was so late. Please let me know if you have any requests.   
> Enjoy :)

Brian held onto his band mate as they made their way back to Johns room. The man seemed very weak and exhausted. He let out some very violent coughs followed by a soft and pitiful “ow”. Brian rubbed his back sympathetically as they approached the room John had been sleeping in. Brian got some water and medicine for his bandmate, trying to be quiet so he didn’t wake anyone else. From the kitchen he could hear John had an awful cough. It sounded painful. 

“Let me know if you need anything else” Brian said quietly, passing John the water and pills.  
“Thanks Bri, I’m really sorry to wake you up” John whispered sadly, his voice thick with congestion.   
“Don’t worry about it John” Brian said kindly.   
Brian watched John for a few moments as he closed his eyes. He looked exhausted. With the back of his hand, Brian gently felt Johns forehead. It was very warm. He wondered if John was getting worse. The thought made Brian anxious because he didn’t really know what to do.   
“Night John. Let’s hope you feel better tomorrow” Brian said, doubting that would actually be the case.   
John nodded barely, practically asleep already. Brian quickly cleaned and sanitized his hands, knowing he didn’t want to catch whatever John had. 

Brian went into the room he and Roger were sharing. Roger rolled over when he heard his friends footsteps.   
“Hmmm” Roger said opening his eyes. “You okay?”   
Brian nodded, smiling slightly at Rogers voice that had gone slightly raspy from sleep. Rogers hair had become very messy and stuck up at all ends.   
“I’m fine. Johns been sick so I was just sorting it out. Sorry to wake you Rog” Brian said, getting into bed.   
Roger nodded. He admired Brian’s kindness and caring nature. Ever since they met Brian had always been so selfless.   
“No need to apologize Bri.” Roger whispered.   
“I’m worried. Do you think he needs to go to the hospital?” Brian said nervously.   
Roger shook his head.   
“I don’t think so. We’ll carry on keeping an eye on him.” Roger told him. “Now get some sleep. you look tired”   
Brian nodded and closed his eyes. He felt very tired tired indeed. Sleep came quite easy and-despite worrying about John-He fell asleep fast.   
—————————————  
“John that rif is terrible” an angry voice said.”you’re the worst bass player In the world”  
John looked wearily around in the dark room, wondering where it had come from. John made out in the darkness that he was in some kind of stadium. He squinted and saw the audience.   
“You’re so awkward and annoying. No wonder everyone hates you” another voice from the mass of people said.   
That hurt. John breathed in shakily as tears began to form. His stomach felt upset and he was starting to shake. Was it true?  
“And now you’re a sick, disgusting, burden to the band” a closer voice said.   
“You can’t even take care of yourself-you baby” another voice said in a mocking tone.   
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry” John said, his voice small.   
John felt his way through the pitch darkness, wondering where he was. His brain felt so foggy. Suddenly a sharp force pushed his back violently. John began to fall. He was terrified and so out of control. Suddenly a thick black liquid poured down and enveloped him. John felt as though he was drowning. He coughed and gasped, panic getting worse by the second...

Brian and Roger watched on as John writhed around. The young mans hair was soaked with sweat and his face was coated with tears. Freddie was reading in the living room. Brian and Roger woke up late and had gone in to ask John if he needed anything. Instead they found him rolling around and mumbling whilst asleep, clearly distressed.   
“Sorry sorry sorry” John mumbled, barley audibly.   
Roger assumed John was experiencing a nightmare and decided waking him up was probably best.   
“John!” Roger said. “John!”  
Roger reached for Johns shoulder. The bassist jolted awake before letting out a series of violent coughs.  
“Shhh..shh..it’s okay..it’s okay” Roger rubbed Johns back in an attempt to calm him. “It’s only a dream”   
John sniffled then turned to face Roger, who was now sitting beside him. Roger felt terrible seeing his friend in such a devastated state.  
“How are you feeling?” Roger asked kindly.  
He didn’t really need Ask though. John looked even worse then he did the day before.   
“I don’t feel well” John replied sadly.   
“You do look poorly” Brian said, putting his hand on Johns forehead. “You’re quite warm John”   
“I’m cold” John said in a small voice, wrapping his arms round himself.   
Brian has hoped the fever would go down during the night but it hadn’t. John laid back down again and buried his head into the pillow, sniffling hard.  
“You alright?” Roger asked.  
“Am I a bad bass player?” John mumbled, so quietly his band mates barley heard him.  
“Of course not!” Brian said.   
Freddie appeared in the doorway. John looked up and smiled momentarily for him.  
“Good morning Deaky” Freddie said.   
“Morning Fred” John said, his voice hoarse and shaky from crying.  
“Oh no you don’t look well at all Dear” Freddie said.   
John tried to smile again, hoping he didn’t look as bad as he felt. He wondered if he needed to go to hospital. He hadn’t been this ill in years and didn’t know what was hospital worthy. John didn’t want to go to hospital. He knew that much. The whole idea of it sounded completely terrifying. John decided he needed to shower and eventually try to eat something. 

Half an hour later John was sitting on the sofa drying his hair with a towel. The shower made him feel slightly less gross and sweaty. Freddie placed a cup of tea on the table.  
“Thanks Freddie” John smiled, his voice still very scarce.   
“No problem” Freddie replied.  
“Aaachooo...hechooo” John sneezed loudly followed by a series of sniffles.   
“Bless you” Brian said.   
Roger cooked some lunch for the band and John ate a bit, despite the fact it hurt is throat awfully. 

The dream had shaken John up. Each time he drifted off he woke with a start. Being ill messed with his emotions and made him feel very sensitive.   
For example: Freddie approached John with a cup of tea. He tapped the bassists shoulder to let him know it was there. John jolted awake, hitting Freddie in the process. Tea spilt down onto Freddie’s hand.   
“Fuck” Freddie yelped as his hand burned.   
Johns mouth dropped open and his stomach flooded with guilt. Tears instantly formed in his eyes as Freddie ran his hand under the tap. John made his way to the sink, feeling dizzy from standing up.   
“I’m sorry Freddie...” John said, his voice scratchy.   
Freddie turned to see john swaying.   
“It’s fine Deaky. It was only an accident” Freddie assured him.   
John was sobbing at this point. Freddie wasn’t used to seeing him so upset and didn’t really know how to react.   
“Shhh shhh John” Freddie said softly. 

John calmed down a little while later. Consumed by boredom, The band got out the scrabble board.   
“Wanna play john?” Roger asked.   
John nodded. He wasn’t feeling too great but needed something to take his mind off how he felt. John wasn’t totally alert meaning he missed out on some points. His bandmates didn’t mind though. About an hour into the game John announced he needed a to take a nap. He was in a much lighter mood than he was when he woke up that morning. His bandmates really did know how to cheer him up. 

Listening to the sounds of his bandmates laughing together and arguing about if something was or was not a word, John fell into a deep and peaceful sleep. 

—- TBC??


End file.
